Floor-cleaning machine



W. A. RWE.

FLOOR CLEANING MACHINE.'

`APPLICATION FILED JKUNE's, |918.

Patented Feb. 22,1921.

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// l l I W. A. ROWE.

FLOOR CLEANING MACHINE.

APPLICATIN FILED JUNE 3, 19l8. 1,369,130

.Patented Fen-22,1921,

W. A. ROWE.

FLOOR CLEANING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED JU'NE3. l9l8.

. --Pa'ttea Feb. 22,1921.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

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S11/noauto: W//ow W. A. RDWE.

FLOOR CLEANING MACHINE.

APPLlcAnoN Huso JUNE 3, 191s.

1,369,130. Patented Feb. 22,1921,

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

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Uhil'l STATES Parent orifice.

WILLIAM A. ROWE, 0F EAU CLARE, WISCONSIN,

FLOOR-CLEANING MACHINE.

Application filed June 3,

T0 @ZZ who/m. t may concern Be it known that l, WILLIAM A. Rowii,

a citizen of the United States, residing at Eau Claire, in the county of Eau Claire and State of 1Wisconsim'have invented certain new and useful improvements in Floor- Cleaning Machines, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to floor cleaning machines, and has for its primary object to provide a light and easily operable machine for thoroughly scrubbing the iioor surfaces of theaters, halls, large auditoriums and the like, and then subsequently effectively drying` the floor surface.

It is one of the more particular objects ofY the present invention to provide improved operating means for the scrubbing` brushes whereby they are revolved or rotated at relatively different speeds, and the water on the floor surface picked up and thrown by the forward brush to the rear brush which rotates at relatively slow speed.

lt is another object of the invention to provide improved wiping means for reinoving the water from the floor surface and discharging t ie saine into a water tank or reservoir, and further to provide improved means for adjustably mounting the wiping mechanism for movement asa unit upon the supporting frame so that the wiper will properly contact with the floor surface as the scrubbing brushes become worn.

it is likewise one of the detail objects of the wiping mechanism of the machine to provide a revolving and absorbent wiping cloth having contact with the floor surface, and means for positively withdrawing the absorbent water from the cloth and immediately delivering ,the saine into the tank or reservoir.

:ind it is a further general object of my invention to provide a floor cleaning` machine as above characterized, the several parts of which are so arranged andassembled as to render the machine of general utility, light in'weight so that it may be operated with a minimum of manual labor, and very reliable and efficient for the purpose in view.

Vf ith the above and other objects in view, the invention consists in the improved construction, conibination and relative arrangement of the several elements as will be hereinafter more fully described, subsequently claimed and illustrated in the accompany- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 22,1921.

V1918. Serial N0. 237,944.

ing drawings in which similar reference characters designate corresponding' parts throughoutl the several views, and wherein l Figure l is a side elevation, partly in section, oit a irioor cleaningniachine illustrating one 'embodiment of the invention;

Fig. is a top plan view, certain of the partsbeing shown in section, and other parts omitted;

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view throuofh one end of the stationary and revolvin01 cylinders, taken on the line 3 3 of Fig. l?

' Fig. l is a detail horizontal section taken on the line 4 4 of Fig. l; v A

Fig. is a fragmentary side elevation, partly in section, killustrating a slightly modiiied construction ofthe wiper; and

Fig. 6 is a section taken on the line 6 6 of Fig. 4.

Referring in detail tothe drawings, and

more particularly to Figs. l to P-thereof, 5 designates the side bars of the machine frame which are of channel-shaped form in cross section. These bars are connected to each other at one of their ends by the transverse frame bar 6, and upon the frame bars 5 at their other Vends,'a bed plate 7 is suitably secured, said plate being provided. at its outer edge with a downwardly extending flangeI 8. To the inner faces of the frame bars 5 and 6 and theflange 8, a depending marginal wall 9 is fixed at its upper edge, said wall extending around and inclosiiig the scrubbing brushes, the operating gearing and other parts below the supporting frame.

y To the side bars 5 ,of the machine frame adjacent to the opposite ends thereof,the depending brackets l0 are securely fixed. in each of these brackets a stub shaft llis adjustably mounted and is provided with an eccentric 12, which constitutes a bearing for the supporting wheel 13. The supporting wheels are preferably faced with rubber, feltv or' other cushioning material, so that they will not mar the fioor surface. It will thus be understood by simply rotatably adjusting the shaft 1l in the bearing bracket-s the supporting wheels 13 may be readily y raised or loweredthrough the medium` of the eccentrics 12, whereby proper ,contactv Upon the bed plate 7 ofthe machine, an l electric motor 14 is securely mounted.' This motor drives a multi-bladed fan mounted in the fan casing shown at 15, which is likewise suitably secured upon the bed plate 7 at one side of the machine. The particularpurpose of this fan will be presently explained.

In suitable bearings 16 fixed to the under side of the bed plate 7, a longitudinally extending shaft 17 is journaled. Upon the ends of this shaft the worms 18 are secured or integrally formed, and it is to be observed that the worm threads extend in relatively opposite spiral directions and are of different pitch. Upon the lower' longitudinally extending flanges of the channel bars 5, spaced bearings 19 are secured, and in these bearings the shafts 20 0f the rotating brushes are mounted. Upon each brush shaft, at one end thereof, a worm gear 21 is secured and with these gears the respec tive worms 18 on the shaft 17 coact. The shaft 17 is driven by means of a twisted belt 22, which traverses a friction pulley 23, centrally fixed to the shaft 17 and extends therefrom around a similar pulley 24 fixed upon the shaft of the motor 14.

25 and 26 respectively indicatethe forward and rear scrubbing brushes, and it is to be noted that the bristle tufts of the forward brush 25 are quite closely or compactly arranged, while the bristles of the rear brush 26 are spaced apart to an appreciably greaterextent. By the provision of the op erating worms 18 for these brushes, the forward brush is rotated ina rearward direction and at a speed of 'approximately 170 revolutions per minute, while the rear brush is rotated in a forward direction at a speed of approximately 113 revolutions per min ute. By rotating the forward brush at a relatively high speed and providing this brush with the closely arranged bristles, the water ejected upon the floor surface at the rear side of said brush is picked up and thrown rearwardly upon the more slowly rotating brush 23. The bristles of this brush being more loosely arranged, allow the water to pass freely through the brush bristles and under the brush over the floor surface so that the water may be absorbed and removed from the floor by the wiping means,

n which 1 shall now describe.

' Between the frame bars 5 of the machine frame, rearwardly of the bed plate 7 a. stationary water containing cylinder is arranged. This cylinder includes'the annular body wall 27 and the end heads 28 which:

are gro'oved upon their inner faces as shown at 29 to receive the end edges of the wall 27. These cylinder heads are connected and tightly clamped against the ends of the body wall by means of the tie bolts 30, of which any desired number may be provided. @ne

of the cylinder heads isformed with a hand hole 31 to afford access to the interior of said cylinder for the purpose of cleaning the same, the said hand hole being normally engaged in the top flange of the frame bar,`

extends. The other flange of each bracket 36 is formed with an obliquely inclined slot 40 to receive a threaded stud or bolt 41, which is fixed in the cylinder heads 28. Clamping nuts 42 are threaded upon said bolt. 43 designates a stop dog pivoted at one of its ends as at 44 upon the rear end of the frame bars 5 and adapted to coact at its other end with the base flange of one of the brackets 36 mounted on said frame bar sol as to hold the slotted flange of the bracket against shifting movement on the bolt 39. By swinging the free end of the stop dog 43 outwardly, the cylindrical water container or tank may be shifted rearwardly to dispose the rivets 39 in the large ends of the key-hole slots so that the tank may then be lifted or removed from the frame.

Upon the outer face of each cylinder head 28 at spaced points, bearing lugs 45 are formed, to support an annulus 49. A cylindrical shell 46 surrounds the stationary cylinder 27 and is disposed in spaced concentric relation thereto. Upon this shell a wiping cloth of absorbent` porous material., shown at 47, is suitably secured. The shell 45 at its ends projects beyond the heads 28v of the stationary cylinder and to these projecting ends of said shell and within the same, the metal rings or annuli 48 are rigidly secured. Upon the outer face of theannulus 48, secured to one end of the outer cylinder 46, an annular gear element 49 is suitably lixed. This gear element has meshing engagement with the teeth of a gear 50 having a stub shaft 51 journaled in the bearing 52 fixed to one of the side bars of the frame. This gear, in turn, meshes with a gear 20 on the rear brush shaft 20. 1t will thus be seen that as the brushes are rotated. rotation is also transmitted to the outer shell or cylinder 46 carrying the wining cloth 47 around the relatively stationary inner cylinder 27 The annular body wall of the inner cylinder is provided at its upper side with a longitudinally extending opening 53, and flanges 54 project inwardly from the opposite edges of this opening. yTo the flange 54 at the rear side of the opening 53, a packing strip 55 is secured and frictionally contacts at its outer edge with the inner face of the rotatable shell or cylinder 46. 56 designates the air outlet pipe or tube connected to the fan casing 15, 'said pipe being formed with an elongated, contracted mouth 57, which is disposed closely adjacent to the surface of the wiping cloth 47 and immediately above the opening 53 in the wall of the stationary cylinder. The outer shell or cylinder 46 is perforated, as shown at 46', and by discharging an air blast directly upon the wiping cloth, which is of loosely woven porous material, the water which has been absorbed by the cloth is driven from the interstices thereof and downwardly through the opening 53 into the stationary inner cylinder. T have also devised very simple means for further in suring the complete withdrawal or removal of the absorbed water from the wiping cloth. This latter device is preferably arranged and constructed in the following manner:

To each of the heads 28, and at the upper side thereof, a bearing casting 58 is securely clamped by means of the nuts 59 threaded upon spaced bolts 60 fixed in the heads which project through openings in said castings. Each of these castings is also preferably formed with a longitudinally curved shoulder 61 which provides-a bearing surface for the inner edge of the annulus 48 fixed to the wall of the cylinder 46. An arm 62 is formed with an angularly disposed end portion 68 in which a rod or shaft 64 is fixed. This shaft at one of its ends is journaled in the upper end of the bearing casting 58. 'It will be understood that one of the arms is thus mounted upon each of the bearing castings, and upon the inner end of one of said shafts, a gear 65 is rotatably mounted and has meshing engagement with the annular gear 49. In suitable bearings 66 formed upon the arms 62, the trunnions 68 at the ends of a wringer roller 67 are journaled. Upon the trunnion 68 at one end of the roller a gear 69 is fixed, and a pinion 70 rotatably mounted upon the arm 62 is interposed between this gear and the gear 65 and has meshing engagement therewith. Thus, it will be apparent that in the rotation of the outer cylinder 46, rotation is also transmitted through the medium of the gear 65 and pinion 70 and gear 69 to the wringer roller to' rotate'the latter in a forward direction. 1

Bifurcated lugs 71 are formed upon each head 28 of the inner cylinder to receive the inner ends of the bolts 72, which extend through openings in the rear ends of the respective arms 62. These lugs 71 also serve as bearings with which the inner edges of the flanges 48 on the outer cylinder 46 are engaged. Nuts 73 are threaded upon said bolts for adjustment against the arms whereby the arms may be rocked upon the bearings 58 and the pressure of the wringer roller 67 on the absorbent material 47 thereby regulated. This wringer roller expresses the water from the fabric 47 immediately above the opening 53 in the inner stationary cylinder and materially assists in the complete removal of all water from the fabric by means of an air blast emitted from the outlet pipe or nozzle 56 of the fan casing. 74 designates the suction or exhaust pipe centrally connected to the fan casing at one of. its ends and extending into the inner stationary cylinder at its other end through one of theheads 28 thereof and above the water level in said cylinder.

IFor the purpose of providing additional bearing support for the rotating cylinder 46, lspaced bearing lugs or projections 75 are cast upon or secured to the outer faces .of the cylinder heads 28.

7 6 designates the wateroutlet pipe which is connected at one of its ends to one head 28 `of the stationary water containing cylinder 27 and is provided with a suitable cut'- of valve indicated at 77. This pipe extends downwardly through one of the side bars 5 of the frame andy then longitudinally in av forward direction, the forward end of said pipe ybeing transversely extended, as shown at 80, at a point in advance of the rear scrubbing brush 26, and adjacent thereto. ln the rear' upper side portion of the transverse extension 8O of the water pipe` an outlet slot or opening 81 is formed and upon the pipe extension the adjustable drip pipe 78 is rotatably mounted, said pipe l likewise having a longitudinally extendingv water outlet opening 79 therein.

To the rear ends of theside bars 5 machine frame, the lower ends of suitable handle bars, as shown at 82, are hingedly connected, the other ends of said handle bars being connected by a cross bar, whereby the 'machine may be drawn or propelled over the floor surface.

The floor scrubbing brushes 25 and 26 are positively driven in the manner above stated so that the waterforwardly ejected between the, brushes is caught up by the bristles of the forward brush in the rotation thereof Aand thrown rearwardly beneath the bristles of the rear brush 26. The latA ter brush rotating'at a relatively low speed, and having its bristles widely spaced, permits the water to readily drain downwardly from the brush bristles to the oor surface.v Tt will be understood that lthese brushes operate in the same manner regardless of whether the Amachine is propelled in a forward direction or drawn rearwardly., In

the forward movement of the machine, the

water after passing under the rear brush of the Y yEn() the outlet mouth 57 of the air blast nozzle 56. The air blast being delivered upon the loosely woven fabric positively drives or forces the water from the meshes thereof through the opening 53 and into the inner water containing cylinder 27. ln 'this connection, it is to be noted that the suction or exhaust pipe 74 will create a vacuum in the upper part of the cylinder 27 and likewise in the space between said cylinder and the outer rotating cylinder Li6 for some distance forwardly of the opening 53. The suction thus created serves to aid in the withdranv'al of the water by means of the air blast by drawing the water to the lower side of the fabric fi?. rl`he amount of this suction may be controlled and regulated by means of a suitable valve indicated at 83, which is arranged in the pipe The force of the air blast can likewise be regulated in a similar manner by providing a valve 811 in the blast pipe or nozzle 56.

The packing strip at the rear side of the opening 58 obviates the possibility of water being driven by the air blast rearwardly in the space between the fixed water containing cylinder 27 and the rotating cylinder 46.

It will be seen from the above description that by means of the present invention, large floor surfaces such as are usually found in halls, auditoriums, theaters, ball rooms, and like places may be very quickly and thoroughly cleaned, and the water completely removed from the floor surface. The inner and outer cylinders may be readily dismounted from the machine frame for the purpose of removing the water and sediment from the inner cylinder and cleaning the same.

ln Fig. 5 of the drawings, I have illustrated a slightly modified form of the machine and more particularly the wiping mechanism thereof. 1n this construction., a single cylindrical water containing tank or reservoir 85 is mounted in the rear end of the machine frame. At the upper side of this tank, and extendingy rearwardly from its center, the annular wall of the tank is formeel with a circumferentially extending slotor opening 86. Upon each end of the tank 85, parallel guide castings 87 are sccurely fined at their lower ends and extend upwardly above said tank. Spacing blocks 88 are fixed between the opposite ends of these parallel castings by means of the bolts 89, and the inner side faces of said castings are grooved to receive the lower and upper bearing members 90 and 91 respectively. These members provide bearings for the trunnions at the ends of the respective wringer rollers 92 and 93, the trunnions on the roller 92 extending through openings in the end walls of the tank. This roller 0perates through the rear end of the slot 0r opening 86 against the under side of the porous wiper cloth or fabric 47, which is frictionally engaged upon the periphery of the tank S5. The end walls or heads of said tank project slighly beyond the periphery of its annular body wall to provide guides es indicated at 94 for the wiper cloth.

rihe upper wringer roller 93 has bearing engagement against the outer, side of the cloth 117', and the frictional pressure of this roller against the wiping cloth may be `a di usted or regulated by means of the screws 95, which are threaded in the upper bearing blocks 8S and are engaged at their lower ends with the slidable bearing members 91. The rollers 92 and 93 at one of their ends are preferably geared together as 'shown at 9G and the lower roller 92 is positively driven from the rear scrubbing brush by means of a belt indicated at 97, or by means of suitable gearing. lt will thus be seen that in the operation of the machine, the wringer rollers 92 and 93 will be rotated in the direction indicated by the arrows and will actto positively pull the wiping cloth 117 upon and around the annular wall of the lined tank 85. rihe machine frame is properly adjusted upon its supporting wheels i3 so that the lower side of the wiping clot-h will have frictional Contact with the floor surface. Therefore, as the cloth is pulled aroundthe water tank, the cloth will absorb the water from the floor surface. It is, of course, understood that the wringer rollers not only operate to thus effect the travel of the cloth around the tank, but also compress the cloth so that the water will be expressed therefrom. The air blast and air suction is likewise used in connection with this form of the invention, so that the water will be drawn through thev wiping fabric and into the tank 85. This modified construction `of the wiping mechanism is somewhat simpler than that first described, and it is believed will be found entirely satisfactory in practical use. l

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, the construction, manner of operation and several advantages of the' different forms of my improved licor cleaning chine will be clearly and fully understood. 'lhe mechanism as a whole is relatively sim-- ple, light in weight, and the machine may Vbe readily propelled or moved from place to place in the cleaning operation at a minimum ot manual labor. The various parts parts may be otherwise mounted upon theA supporting frame than as herein disclosed without affecting the principle of operation.

It. is, therefore to be understood that While l have herein sheivn and described the preferred form, construction and relative arrangement of the various parts, the machine is susceptible of many minor medi- ."cations therein, and l therefore reserve tlmprivilege of adopting all such legitimate changes as may be fairly embodied Within the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed.

'1. ln a floor cleaning machine, a water ire-- ceiving tank having an opening in its Wall, a floor Wiper of porous material movable relative to the tank,n means for movingthe wiper as the machine is propelled over the floor, and means for delivering a blast of air upon the floor Wiper to force the Water therefrom through said openingl and into-'the tank.

2. in a floor cleaning machine, a water receiving` tank having an opening in its Wall, a Hoor Wiper of absorbent, porous material movable concentrically to the tank Wall and over the opening therein, means for moving said Wiper as the machine is propelled over the iioor, and means for delivp ering a blast of air upon the floor Wiper to force the Water therefrom through said opening and into the tank.

3. ln a floor cleaning machine, a cylindrical Water receiving tank, a continuous absorbent floor Wiper surrounding the tank and circumferentially movable with respect thereto, means for moving said wiper around the tank as the machine is propelled over the floor, said tank having a'water inlet" opening in its Wall, and means for extracting the Water from the absorbent Wiper in its movement over said opening and delivering the Water into said tank.

4. n a floor cleaning machine, a cylindrical Water receiving tank, a continuous door Wiper of porous material surrounding the tank and circumferentially movable with respect thereto, means for moving the wiper as the machine is propelled over the floor, said tank at its upper side being provided with a Water inlet opening in its Wall, and means for delivering a continuous-blast of the air upon the floor Wiper as it moves over said opening to force the Water therefrom and into the tank.

5. ln a floor cleaning machine, a cylindrical Water receiving tank, a continuous floor Wiper of porous material surrounding the tank and circumferentially movable with respect thereto, means for moving the Wiper as the machine is propelled over the Hoor, said tank Vat its upper side being provided with a Water inlet opening in its Wall, and means for creating a vacuum in the upper lportion of the tank, said vacuum operating `to Withdraw the Water from the porous Wiper into said tank in the movement of the latter over said' opening.

6. In a Hoor cleaning machine, a cylindrical Water receiving tank, a continuous floor Wiper of porous material surroundingl the tank and circumferentially movable With I respect thereto, means for moving the Wiper as the machine is propelled over the floor, said tank at its upper side being provided with a Water inlet opening'in its Wall, and a fan operating to create a vacuum Within the upper portion of the tank and thereby withdraw the Water from the lporous Wiper as it passes over said opening, said fan also directing an air blast upon the exterior of the Wiper to force the water therefrom through the inlet opening.

7. In a floor cleaning machine, a cylin# drical Water receiving tank, a continuous licor Wiper of porous material surrounding the tank and circumferentially movable with respect thereto, means for moving the Wiper as the machine is propelled over the floor, said tank at its upper side being provided With a Water inlet opening in its Wall,a fan operating to create avacuum Within the upper portion of the tank and thereby With.

draw the Water from the porous Wiper as it passes over said opening, said fan also directing an air blast upon the exterior of the Wiper to force the Waterr therefrom through theV inlet opening, and yadditional means. arranged adjacent to the Water inlet opening and coacting With the Wiper to eX` press the Water therefrom.

8. 1n a Hoor cleaning machine, a cylindrical Water receiving tank, a continuous porous floor Wiper surrounding the tank and circumferentially movable With respect thereto, said tank having a Water inlet opening at its 'upper side, means for moving the Wiper around the tank as the machine is propelled over the floor, means for directing an air blast upon the porous Wiper as it moves over said opening to force the Water therefrom into the tank, and means arranged adjacent the point of. delivery of the air blast to coact with the Wiper and express the Water therefrom.

9. In a floor cleaning machine, a cylindrical Water receiving tank, a continuous porous Hoor Wiper surrounding the tank and circumferentially movable With respect thereto, said tank having a Water inlet open- A and coacting with the porous wiper to eX- press the water therefrom, and means for positively rotating said roller.

10. In a floor cleaning machine, a wheeled supporting member, a water receiving tank mounted thereon and having an opening in its wall at the upper side thereof, an endless, floor engaging wiper surrounding ther tank and concentric thereto, a driving wheel operatively supported on the supporting` member, power operated means for rotating said driving wheel, a wringer roller disposed eXteriorly of the tank and above the opening therein and bearing on said wiper, and means engaged by said driving wheel and connected with said wringer roller for *rotating said wringer roller.

l1. In a floor cleaning machine, a cylindrical water receiving tank having an opening in its annular wall at the upper side thereof, a continuous annular porous Hoor wiper surrounding said wall and circumferentially movable therearound, means for delivering an air blast upon the exterior of the wiper adjacent said opening, and means arranged adjacent the point of delivery of the air blast and ooacting with the wiper to positively move the wiper around the tank wall over said opening and also eX- press the water therefrom.

l2. In a floor cleaning machine, a water .receivingl tank having. an opening in its wall, an absorbent floor wiper movable with respect to the tank over said opening, means for moving said Wiper as the machine is propelled over the floor, means mounted upon the tank eXteriorly thereof and acting upon the wiper to express the water therefrom, and means for creating a vacuum within the tank to draw the water through the opening in the wall thereof.

Y 13. In a floor cleaning machine, a frame, a Water receiving tank, floor wiping mechanism mounted upon said tank and including a movable floor engaging element, and means for adjustably mounting the tank in the frame to position the floor engaging ele,- ment with respect to the floor surface.

14. A floor cleaning machine, including a wheeled supporting frame, a water receiving tank mounted upon the frame for detachment therefrom and for adjustment toward or from the floor, a movable iioor wiper operatively supported by the tank, an operating mechanism for the floor wiper carried by the tank whereby the tank, floor wiper and the operating mechanism therefor may be removed from the frame or adjusted with relation thereto as a unit.

l5. A floor cleaning machine including a wheeled supporting frame, a cylindrical tank, means for mounting the tank upon said frame for adjustment toward or from the floor, an endless floor wiper surrounding the -cylindrical tank and extending concentrically thereto, gearing mounted upon the tank for rotating said floor wiper around the tank, the tank, the wiper, and said means being adjustable as a unit toward or from the floor or removable as a unit from the frame, and power operated mechanism mounted on the frame for driving said gearing. l

Intestimony whereof I hereunto aiix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM A. ROWE. Witnesses:

F. E. WILTERDING, A. R. LUND. 

